Poll

Bonnie Strassell - Owen County Historical Society

It stood in the courthouse yard for many years and as the city of Owenton grew and prospered, the tree spread its branches outward and settled its massive trunk on the grassy lawn. It wasn’t long before its foliage offered relief from baking summer days and in the autumn its display of brilliant colors heralded the approach of winter.
But over the years time and the elements weakened its roots and a recent storm lifted the stalwart giant, hurling it to the ground and leaving many saddened at its demise.

When a pen meets history, the past bursts into life. This explosion is created by an author who draws from a multitude of sources. I would like to thank all those whose knowledge of Owen County history and its families make possible my weekly column in the News-Herald. Their contributions serve to keep our heritage alive, and history is recorded once again.

Dust whirled about as buggies and farm wagons made their way along Owenton streets in the early 1900s. The occasion was County Court Day and the enthused Owen County crowd bought, bartered, and bargained for the best deals of the day.
Most looked forward to this event which was held on the fourth Monday of the month. Many who attended were farmers who came to town, transacted their business and returned home in time to milk.

History is an account of events in either a written or narrative form. But what makes history exciting is the character of the people involved who enhance those events with their own personality, adding a dimension of life, color and movement.
Owen countians have always been intrinsically intertwined with the past, and many have recorded their hopes, dreams and sorrows in diaries and books or have passed them down in family stories.

I never knew you. Your name has always eluded me. Mama and Papa never mentioned you, but perhaps they were too busy making a living on the farm in Owen county. I’m sure you knew how much work it was to put in a crop of tobacco. In March or April seed was sown in the burned plant beds. Transplanting was done in May or June and the whole family worked together as the kids carefully dropped plants in rows and the adults set them. Work continued as the fragile plants were carefully cultivated with plows, hoes, and by hand.

The tall grasses of Kentucky gave way to the mighty bison. These great shaggy beasts created trails leading to the salt licks and rivers that dotted the land. Trails that were further defined by the moccasin feet of the American Indian.
In 1775, Daniel Boone and 30 men completed the first trail through the Cumberland Mountains. It moved through the Alleghenies at Cumberland Gap, at what is now the junction of the state boundaries of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. Heading northwest, it split at Hazel Patch, one route creating Boonesborough, the other Frankfort.

The pungent smell of oil-based ink wafted through the building, and its presence was ever evident on fingertips. Sounds in the background intermingled as the linotype machine operator tapped out words into sentences; and the cylinder press, picking up a bit of ink, rolled across the type form and performed its noteworthy job of printing the newspaper.
Welcome to the office of the News-Herald in the 1950s-1970s. Jane Yancey Ayres well remembers those days of frantically working to publish the weekly paper for Owen countians.

Meet Charlie Moormon. The slender, whiskered gentleman from the Cincinnati Museum Center presented a program on riverboats at the historical society meeting July 12. His love of the river and the steamboats which once crowded its expanse was evident as he relived the early days of steam powered boats and the vital role they played in the history of America.